Author(s)

Qianyang Sun, Dingyi Yu

Corresponding Author

Qianyang Sun

Abstract

Changes in climate may affect plant-herbivore interactions and, in turn, ecosystem processes. However, there is a paucity of research on the effects of climate change on plant-herbivore relationships. Given the different environments in which above- and below-ground organisms live, their responses to climate change are likely to be different. However, there is a paucity of research on biological and ecological responses under current and future climate conditions. Although some studies have focused on the effects that climate change will have on interactions between herbivores and other organisms, there is no evidence for this. Interactions between plants and herbivores are of interest due to the high herbivory of animals in lowland tropical rainforests and the high defence capacity of plants. In contrast, most herbivores in the tropics are predominantly young and leafy, and therefore require constant target searching. Based on the strong link between ecology and evolution, plant-herbivore interactions in the tropics may be more susceptible to disruption by climate change.

Keywords

Biological, reactions, herbivory